CEDAR HILL – Cedar Hill Police Chief Ely Reyes has been promoted to the city’s newly created position of Public Safety Director.
Reyes’ new position was effective August 1.
Reyes has been the police chief in Cedar Hill since 2019. In addition to his duties as Police Chief, Reyes will provide leadership and strategic oversight of police, fire, and emergency management operations.
Cedar Hill has been recognized as having a reputation as one of the safest cities in the Best Southwest region under Reyes’s leadership, with the police department continually expanding community engagement and partnership efforts.
During Reyes’s tenure as the city’s Police Chief, he received numerous awards, including the 2019 Tri-Cities NAACP President’s Award, the 2022 Texas Police Chief’s Innovation Award for the Neighborhood Walk Program, the 2023 Cedar Hill Chamber of Commerce Public Servant of the Year, and the 2024 Texas Crime Prevention Association Outstanding Crime Prevention Manager.
With his new appointment, Reyes will remain the Chief of Police, and there is currently an Interim Chief over the Fire Department.
Reyes said in his new position, he will “continue to focus on recruiting and retention efforts to ensure that we have a stable workforce. In addition, we recently completed a joint public safety strategic plan, so we will be working strategies to implement some of the short and long term recommendation in that plan.”
While several cities around the area have gravitated to a Public Safety Director leading both the Police and Fire Departments, Reyes explained, “Each city needs to evaluate the skill sets of its executive leadership team and determine what is the best fit for its organization. Many cities have determined that having a single point of contact for public safety-related activities can be very beneficial.”
For residents interested in discussing his new position as the city’s Public Safety Director, Reyes said the National Night Kickoff event for Cedar Hill will be held on September 3. This event will support and guide the city’s neighborhoods participating in National Night Out, which is scheduled for October 1 from 5 to 7 p.m.
There is also the well-engaged neighborhood walk program that Reyes regularly participates in, and he said that program “continues to be our hallmark community engagement program.”
The city recently completed a neighborhood walk in the Highpoint Neighborhood, and the next walk is scheduled for September 7 in the new Stonehill Neighborhood.
“I am honored to be able to continue to serve this great city and excited to be able to continue to learn and improve my knowledge of all aspects of public safety,” Reyes said of his new position.
In addition to Reyes’ new role, long-time Cedar Hill staple Stacey Graves was also promoted within the city.
Graves, who has served various roles at the City of Cedar Hill for more than 25 years will now serve as Development Services Director, overseeing the city’s public works operations and capital improvement program while continuing to lead neighborhood services and code enforcement teams.
Graves brings extensive knowledge of the community and city organization to the role of Development Services Director.
Cedar Hill City Manager Melissa Valadez-Cummings praised the new appointees, citing their experience and dedication to the city’s vision and values.
“Ely and Stacey have proven track records of professionalism and servant leadership in Cedar Hill, ” Valadez-Cummings said. “I look forward to the positive impact they will have on the community in these new roles.”
